A manatee sneezed on me

I had to smile the other day when reading the notes at the end of a Phillies story:

Philadelphia-area singer John Flynn sang the Canadian and American national anthems before the game. Flynn sang part of the Canadian anthem in French, and that was almost as impressive as his great work, "A Manatee Sneezed on Me."

We never heard any of his songs except for the national anthem and God Bless America. But Christine and I always get a kick when the folk singer pops up at Phillies games. He just seems so random. A few years ago, it felt like he was always at games we went to, but not so much anymore.

We couldn't remember the last time we saw him at the ballpark. But when looking at his Web site to steal this picture taken by Heddy Bergsman, we found our answer. It hit Christine that this shot might have been taken before Game 1 of the 2007 NLDS. We whipped out my trusty scorecard [see Christine, they do come in handy] and sure enough I had written at the bottom "John Flynn."

I must have been excited to see him that day.

[Photo credit: www.johnflynn.net]

Available: One really crappy pitcher

All day at work, I was stuck in a room with no access to the outside world. I came home with a headache and a feeling that I'd have nothing to write about.

But then I saw it finally happened.

The Phillies released one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history. Adam Eaton, one of this blog's favorite whipping boys, is no longer an andPhils. He better not become a Sox.

In a vacuum, the move is probably a year too late. But given the facts that the Phillies won the World Series last year and Eaton's quotes have been a staple for this site, I won't complain.

And, in true Adam Eaton style, he's going out with his usual delirious comments:

I know there's a lot still left in my arm. A blip, yeah. Yeah, it's two-year blip, but at the same time my career has been spanning since '97 coming into spring training. That's a decent percentage, but there's also a vast other percentage that's very successful. And that's what the Phillies saw when they signed me. I plan to return to that form, and with a few tweaks here and there it'll be there.

Actually, he's appeared in parts of nine major league seasons with only three 30+ start seasons. Only once has he had an ERA better than league average. Remind me again why the Phillies thought he was worth a three-year $24 million contract?

Oh, maybe I'm being too hard on him. He did lead the Phillies in quality starts before the 2008 All-Star break.

I got off to a relatively good start and had nothing to show for it. This day and age, it's what have you done for me lately. Regardless of leading the team in quality starts until the All-Star break, two starts later, three starts later, I'm cast off in the bullpen. Granted, there were a lot of horrible games in there, but there were some good ones, too.

Is it too late to get the Cy Young award back from Tim Lincecum?

And they're off

Last year, the big competition in SoxandPhils camp was between Coco Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury for the Red Sox starting centerfielder job. But you had the feeling that it was Ellsbury's job to lose.

This year, the only big competition is Phillies fifth starter, and while Kyle Kendrick seems to be the favorite, I have the feeling anyone could grab it. The two most untested candidates, Carlos Carrasco and J.A. Happ, went today.

Scott Lauber declared it a draw, although Carrasco had the prettier line - three strikeouts in two innings with no baserunners. Happ also tossed two shutout innings, but he allowed a hit. It's good to see the youngsters show some desire to grab the job and take it. Unlike last spring when Adam Eaton pitched poorly but kept his job anyway.

Games on

Spring games finally started today. I got caught up in something and didn't get to watch the beginning of the Sox as planned (I watched an inning so far and will try to watch some more after posting this), but I did hear the last couple innings of the Phillies game on the radio.

I liked this exchange for some reason:

Scott Franzke: How's that pretzel?

Larry Andersen: Salty.

Salty indeed.

The Phillies dropped their first game of the spring; the Red Sox beat Boston College in the afternoon but are losing to the Twins tonight. I don't put much credence in spring results. We're still about 190 regular-season wins and 14 postseason wins away from the SoxandPhils World Series.

Wake me in October.

{Boo! I liked October 2008, but I want this spring and summer to last for a nice long time.}

[Photo credit: NaturalNews.com]

'Twas the Night Before Baseball ...

It's probably the cold getting to me, but I've never wanted spring training to start as badly as I do this year, even though it could mean the end of the greatest two-year stretch of SoxandPhils baseball ever.

I'm very excited that games begin tomorrow. We even have lineups already. Be sure to tune into MLB Network tomorrow night to see Gil Velazquez, Dustin Richardson and Josh Bard lead the charge against the Twins.

The Phillies will have several regulars playing, plus Matt Stairs at DH, in an untelevised game against the Pirates. Question: If Stairs homers, does that mean six more weeks of winter?

Christine and I practiced watching baseball last night, popping in the DVD of the opening World Series game. We chose the Phillies radio broadcast. It was funny because some portions don't line up with the pictures from the Fox broadcast. For instance, there was dead silence when the Rays starters announced their lineup, and there were pictures of real rays swimming when Larry Andersen was discussing mechanics of the game.

Christine says: Why isn't this on VH1's Celebreality?

Christine often complains that her Phillies never get mainstream attention and respect. Christine loves reality TV shows. So she is pleased, and we're both shocked, by the MLB Network's first original series: The Pen - a reality show about the Phillies bullpen as it tries to defend the World Championship.

I hope the show doesn't limit itself to the bullpen. Brett Myers was made to be a reality TV star. (For no reason, because I have never said that before, I just had a feeling of deja vu when I typed that.)

Clay Condrey, who could be a good sidekick for Myers, is excited:

"I think it'll be pretty neat," Clay Condrey said.

You'll probably become a star, Clay.

"I ain't no star," he said.

No, he's not. But Grammy-attending, white-tux wearing Shane Victorino is. Or, maybe not:

"When I walked on the red carpet I was like, 'Let me just go,' because I felt so out of place there," Victorino said. "But it was definitely a neat experience. I sat there and watched and it's amazing what kind of talent it takes to do what they do. I've played at the pinnacle of my sport, and they're playing at their pinnacle - the Grammys. It's like the top. To be able to watch them perform, it was very cool. Steve Wonder was great. Carrie Underwood. She was pretty impressive."

Shane does know how to grab attention, Hollywood style. He made sure to get in a SoxandPhils line to ensure he made this blog:

"Neil Diamond was unbelievable," Victorino said.

Fan of Neil?

"I'm not a fan, but I know his music," he said. "Sweet Caroline was the last song of the night. I was like, 'Oh, Boston, seventh-inning stretch. Here we go.' That's what I thought in my head."

{Please, don't let the Phillies become my worst nightmare - the Red Sox of 2005.}

[Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega, PR Photos]

A call to the pen as Papi struggles with steroid issue

Yesterday, when I told Christine (who sometimes accuses me of shilling for the Red Sox) that I planned to rip David Ortiz for his response to being associated with Alex Rodriguez's steroid-tainted trainer, I questioned why Papi wouldn't demand that the other 103 players who tested positive with Slappy be revealed.

If I were innocent, privacy rights be damned, I'd want my name cleared. Right now in baseball, it's guilt by association and the benefit of the doubt points toward guilty.

Brad Lidge understands this:

"I wish they would just come out and say who the 104 players are because it's not fair for the other players," Lidge said last week. "We're all lumped in with them, and people think most players did it during the steroid era. But all of us didn't cheat. I don't care how they do it, they should name all of the players on the list."

Amen, Mr. Perfect.

Thanks to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, A-Roid and possibly Papi, baseball's taint will linger for decades. The only hope to speed up its removal is to get everything out there.

Birthday update: And on that cheery note, some lighter news in andPhils world. I wasn't surprised when there were a few World Series trinkets from Greg included in my birthday present. I was surprised, however, to receive the eight-disc set chronicling the Phils playoff run. I suggested that we immediately sit down to relive the series in its entirety. Greg politely declined. Oh well, maybe another weekend.

Troubled waters

Yesterday I compared the carefree SoxandPhils camps with that of the steroid-tainted Yankees. The cloud of steroids, which has already cost the Phillies their second-best reliever for nearly a third of the season, is now approaching Boston.

David Ortiz has trained with the guy who may be Alex Rodriguez' supplier. He's denying using, but sees no reason to stop going to Angel Presinal's facility. I really want to believe him, but we've heard denials before. Plus, he's tripping himself up already, saying he has to be careful with whom he associates, but that he hasn't stopped associating himself with anyone, including Presinal:

Do you have to be careful about who you associate with?
Ortiz: Of course. Especially in these days.

Are there people you don't associate with anymore?
Ortiz: No, I don't care what people say. It's the way you show yourself out there. That's what I think it is. But definitely you've got to be careful with anybody that is
involved in any kind of stuff like whatever is going on right now.

[...]

You said you have to be careful with the people you associate with, but there's no one you no longer associate with?
Ortiz: I don't have that problem. I'm pretty much always with my family. I'm not the kind of person that has relationships with strangers.

Then, he refused to answer the basic gimme question whether he is upset about the reputation the Dominican Republic is getting with steroids. "I can't comment about that. I don't know too much about that," he said.

Funny, he had no trouble commenting on the topic in 2005, when he said the steroids policy is unfair to Latin players who don't speak English.

I hope this all turns out to be coincidence, but I don't like where it's heading. Or maybe I'm just cranky from a lack of sleep.

Last night, when Christine and I returned home from an excellent dinner to celebrate her birthday (which is actually today) we looked forward to a rare evening in which we had absolutely nothing to do. But when I turned on the fish tank light, I saw the tank was leaking and had ruined the wooden fish stand. From experience, I quickly drained the tank and put the fish in a bucket. Christine found the receipt for the tank and stand, and I was soon on the phone with the pet store, less than an hour before it closed, to tell them I expected the items to be replaced.

The manager agreed - I think it was the desperation in my voice when I said, "My fish are in a bucket. This has to be taken care of tonight."

We arrived at the store just before it closed and got the new stand and tank. By the time the stand was assembled and there was enough water in the tank to get through the night, it was past 1 a.m. The ironic thing is that earlier in the day, I had seen a recap of the 2008 Red Sox season and I had forgotten that they trailed Game 5 of the ALCS 7-0. I guess those details slip your mind when you're unexpectedly scooping up fish.

No fish seemed to have been injured last night, thankfully.

Spring training circus

Four years ago, the aftermath of the 2004 World Championship brought us Fever Pitch, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and a bevy of books from the likes of the acclaimed (Stephen King) to the barely literate (Johnny Damon).

This year, the Phillies are experiencing a little of the media crush that comes with a championship afterglow.

It's only a few days into spring training, and there have already been more guests in Clearwater than usual, highlighted by Big Sexy Kevin Nash. Um, yeah, I can't decide which is worse, this or Carson Kressley.

HBO is also in camp, doing its much-anticipated feature on Charlie Manuel.

The Phillies are talking a good game:

"Everyone's the same," Jimmy Rollins said. "Nobody's walking around with their chest out or a ballooned head. Everybody's still working. ... Like I said, we're still trying to win respect. We know we're winners and people know we have a good team, but we're fighting for respect as a champion."

"I'm actually proud of the guys, how they've come into camp," Chase Utley said. "It would be very easy to look back on last season and say, 'We're the world champions,' and sit on it. Brett looks like a new person. Ryan looks
extremely strong - and scary."

Fonzie quotes aside, I'm sure the 2005 Red Sox expressed similar sentiments, but we all know how that season went - followed by an even worse 2006.

I do think the way the Phillies have won the past two seasons that they will be able to block out these distractions. They may get off to their usual slow start, but I think they'll turn it on once they've given the Mets (aka the Coyote) false hope that this will be the year.

While things are tamer than the 2005 Red Sox, the 2009 Phillies camp is raucous compared with this year's Red Sox, who are playing with children, challenging each other to ping-pong games and playing golf to raise money for charity.

It's sort of nice that they are flying under the radar a bit this year. It's very nice that they're not wasting their time doing this:


[Photo credits: Slam Wrestling, Star-Ledger]

Not so antiquated Red Sox garb

When the protracted Jason Varitek negotiations ended, it meant something more than the fact we no longer lacked a starting catcher. It meant that the quasi-Varitek jersey Christine got me for my birthday a couple years ago wouldn't be inducted this year into my antiquated Red Sox garb feature. In fact, it may never be inducted because now there is a good chance the Captain will retire as a Red Sox.

I wore it the other day while running some errands. It caught the attention of a little boy sitting in his mother's shopping cart at Wal-Mart.

"Mommy, I think he's a baseball player," he said.

"Who?" she said before looking up to see me.

I embarrassingly ducked away before I could see or hear the response.

I guess this is what Christine means when she says I'm too old to be wearing shirts with players' names on them.

Baseball players say the dumbest things

Two months after Cole Hamels played along with a radio bit and declared that the Mets did in fact choke the last two years, the Mets continue to flap their gums. Carlos Beltran took it to a new low this week:

The only thing that I know is he will be watched every time he faces us. Hopefully we kill him, and then he'll have to deal with the situation.

I wonder if that is "gangsta" enough for his manager, Jerry Manuel. What kind of thugs do they have up there? If someone associated with Philadelphia advocated killing an opponent, he would be vilified more than any other athlete not named Alex Rodriguez this week.

Oh, and speaker of A-Roid ... teammate Johnny Damon made a public service announcement, saying there are worse things Slappy could have done:

Murdering someone, you know there's plenty of other things that could be worse than what he did... Yeah, he did some bad things. He took a steroid, definitely do not condone that, at all. But there are a lot worse things he could have been doing out there. He hasn't done a crime.

Oh yes, taking illegal drugs purchased in a foreign country is definitely not a crime, Johnny. He has always reminded me of Saturday Night Live's Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, but Phil Hartman presented much better defense arguments than Damon.

While New Yorkers did their city proud this week, we had a good ol' Sox and Phils feud across the coasts. Apparently, Larry Bowa isn't Brad Penny's favorite coach and vice versa.

"A lot of stuff went on last year," Penny told Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports. "There were a few people I didn't get along with on the coaching staff that don't respect people. I mean, me and Joe [Torre] got along fine. I just feel like nobody had my back there. You're in the clubhouse and you have players coming up to you saying coaches are saying this to them about you. And that's just not a good situation to be in."

When asked which of the coaches Penny had issues with, Penny replied. "Your boy, Larry Bowa."

Asked for a reaction, Bowa fired right back without waiting to hear what Penny said:

"You mean the same guy who was never on time, out of shape and has one complete game? He has more stuff to worry about in the A.L. East than me. He has to worry about getting people out. He was never on time, was out of shape and never helped the kids out. Put that on the (expletive) dot-com. Put it in the headline," Bowa told Tony Jackson of Inside The Dodgers.

Christine said this exchange speaks poorly of Penny's character. I think it was just a symptom of poor coaching. He will flourish with the championship-caliber coaching staff in Boston.

Quality control

The MLB Network has remained on the basic FIOS package for the past two weeks. I still like the fledgling channel despite its glitches, most notably with its programming guide.

Last week, the network had a special weekend dedicated to big strikeout games. I tried to DVR Roger Clemens' 1986 20K game against the Mariners. Despite the buffoon the roider has become, I would still like to sit down and watch the game responsible for me becoming a Red Sox fan.

The first time I tried, it wound up recording one of Randy Johnson's old Mariners games halfway through. The next time, I got the beginning of a game - David Cone's 19 strikeouts against the Phillies on the last day of the 1991 season.

I was bored so I watched the first inning - pure cheese. In the broadcast booth for the Mets that day was Ralph Kiner and Frank Cashen, who was still the team's GM but would be fired in the offseason. Perhaps the ownership didn't like to hear their top personnel guy chuckle when their leadoff hitter loafed into second on the first play of the game.

I don't know if this was just a sign of the pre-Internet times or lack of preparedness by the Mets broadcast team, but when they were talking about Phillies catcher Doug Lindsey (never heard of him), Cashen could only guess that it was his first game because his batting average was .000. For the record, it was his only game of 1991. Lindsey would appear in two more games for the Phillies in 1993 and then two more that year after being traded to the Cubs. Christine wonders whether he is proud or sad if he ever happens upon this rebroadcast.

He was the top scrub in two lineups filled with them. For the Phillies: CF Braulio Castillo, PH Jim Lindeman and SS Kim Batiste led off. For the Mets, the double play combo says it all: Kevin Miller and Jeff Gardner. Needless to say, I won't sit through this whole game. {I disagree with calling Doug Lindsey the "top scrub" of the lineup. Most Phillies fans will forever remember the names in the lineup that day, whether they were scrubs or not. Hollins, Morandini, Jordan, Chamberlain - those names mean something to us.}

Other gaffes: Recently, I had the channel on when they were showing Mike Cameron's four home run game. Coming back from a commercial break, MLB's Hazel Mae noted how well the Mariners had rebounded from losing superstars, notably Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez. She called the trio surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famers. I hope that was taped before Slappy's steroid revelation.

And then, Barry Larkin made a huge error the other night. I've been annoyed by Larkin since the network debuted. He seems too attached to players with Reds' connection, especially Ken Griffey Jr. Larkin can't accept The Kid isn't 24 years old anymore.

But in a discussion of which player in history had the greatest rookie season, Larkin picked four, including Edinson Volquez' 2008. I was ready to blow my top, but Christine calmed me as she saw the other analysts about to correct him. Nope, they just chided him for picking four players when he was asked to pick one. Don't they have interns at MLB Network to make sure its talent doesn't perpetuate embarrassing mistakes?

No quality: Alex Rodriguez spoke today about his drug abuse. He's so delusional I can't even get my head around all the lies he is spinning. I hope he gets some help.

Spring surprises

There were mild surprises from each camp yesterday - not that they were unexpected given the histories of the players involved, but surprising in that they happened so quickly.

J.D. Drew's back is hurting, and Kyle Kendrick is the front-runner to be the Phillies fifth starter.

Drew, a hero of the 2007 ALCS and last year's All-Star game, which made it possible for Christine and me to attend the World Series clincher {J.D. Drew is not a hero, I don't care what he did in any All-Star game}, says his stiff back will be fine:

"I'm not concerned that I won't be at full capacity to play," Drew said. "If we had to go out there and play a game today I could do that. It wouldn't be a problem. That being said, I have battled with this the entire offseason, just as far as stiffness goes. Not really mobility as much. You wake up ... you move around, you do a few things, you sit down for a while, you get stiff."

Let's hope so. I like Rocco Baldelli, but given his health concerns, I'm not prepared to pencil him in for 140 starts in right field.

Kyle Kendrick has no health issues, but he struggled toward the end of last season and was regulated to the bottom of the pitching depth chart and eventually to cheerleader during the Phillies playoff run. Despite that, pitching coach Rich Dubee said he has an edge over J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Chan Ho Park to be the Phillies fifth starter.

"I can't walk away from 21 wins," Dubee said, referring to Kendrick's 21-13 record over the past two seasons. "To me, he's the leading candidate going in as the fifth starter because of what he's done."

Trashy last word: Everyone is making a big deal of Francisco Rodriguez proclaiming the Mets the team to beat. Yawn. Jimmy Rollins did this in 2007. Carlos Beltran did this in 2008. And even K-Rod already did this two months ago.

The Mets can't top the Phillies on, or off, the field. Phil Sheridan easily dismisses this latest volley:

It was fun while it lasted, but the war of words between the Phillies and Mets won't have quite the same spirit this year. The Phillies' World Series championship kind of makes boasts like Rodriguez's sound even more hollow than usual.

Baseball's crazy past and scary future

For the first time since the Phillies won the World Series, a gift-giving occasion passed without me getting Christine any championship garb or trinket. I wonder if that trend will hold true for her birthday next weekend.

But Christine did go baseball for my Valentine's Day gift, getting me the latest version of Baseball Mogul, my favorite sports simulation game. This year, for some strange reason, the game is endorsed by former Red Sox great Bill "Spaceman" Lee.

This isn't just a name-on-the-box run-of-the-mill sports endorsement. No, no, no, that wouldn't do for the Spaceman. The game comes with a separate DVD containing three ... three ... hours of interviews with Lee. Christine was quite amused when she saw that the interviews got the game a T for Teen rating because of sex and drug references. We still don't understand the point of the interview, but I'll watch every minute of it.

The first 10 minutes or so provides no insight. It's Bill Lee talking to the camera while a guy talks to him off-screen. The guy (I'm pretty sure he's a Canadian) doesn't know that Pete Rose is banned from major league ballparks, that Fidel Castro is out of power or that Ronald Reagan is dead. So far, I've learned that Bill Lee liked the drugs his dad got to treat pneumonia and is very fond of Cuba. I'm sure I'll share more as I watch in the coming days.

Since we're talking about crazy Red Sox pitchers from long ago, Nick Cafardo says Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd wants a chance to make a comeback. He wants to emulate his idol, Satchel Paige, and pitch into his 60s. He says his shoulder is stronger than ever:

I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes. Give me 15 minutes and I'll show I can still pitch. That's all I want.

If the Pirates took a chance with those guys from India, why not give Oil Can a looksie? He's only three years older than Jamie Moyer.

Speaking of whom ... you know how when you got in trouble as a kid, it was always worse when your parents sat in quiet disappointment than if they just yelled and screamed at you? I bet that's the equivalent of being taken to the woodshed by baseball's elder statesman, who chimed in on Alex Rodriguez:

"It's about respecting the game," Moyer said. "I'd be disappointed in anybody in that situation. "When people have had an impact on your life, you want to feel for them. But how can I feel for him? To me, if you're doing it, you know it's illegal. I commend him for coming out and saying it, but why didn't he say it seven years ago?"

Asked if his sons, now teenagers, were disappointed in Rodriguez, Moyer said: "I'm sure they are. We've talked a little about it. It's also a lesson. One day he's a Hall of Famer, and in a 24-hour period he's not because of a poor decision. That's a shame."

Scary thought: Nick Cafardo's Sunday column muses how baseball is getting "creepy" again. I thought it was going to be another steroids theme, and parts were, but it was an encompassing look at all the storm clouds appearing between players and owners, with the implication that the resolve not to let the 1994 strike recur could be forgotten. Creepy, indeed.

[Cover shot: Strategy First]

A spring in their steps

In the early part of spring training, everything is rosy, cheery and cheesy - unless your team is dealing with steroids and book controversies. Everybody is in the best shape of their lives, and every team is looking forward to a deep run into October - unless your team plays in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Washington or some other desolate small market.

It's good to see that two of the heftier Phillies, Ryan Howard and Brett Myers, didn't get fat and lazy off their first World Championship; each lost more than 20 pounds this winter.

Myers:

Winning the World Series was great, but personally I had a bad taste in my mouth this winter because of how badly I pitched in the first half of the season. I needed to get in better shape so we don't have to fight to get into the playoffs the last three weeks.

I wanted to feel like I was in better shape and show my dedication to this team so I can go out and pitch better. I need to start stronger. I lost nine games in the first half. It would have made a big difference if I had pitched better.

How did Brett Myers lose 30 pounds in three months? Did he give up Cheetos? Switch to light beer? Not stay on the couch for hours on end playing video games?

I think Brett should offer the details in a book or video marketed as the Brett Myers World Series Weight Loss System. And maybe it could be a joint project with Ryan Howard:

I basically just wanted to come and get right. Not so much a target, but drop 10 pounds or so and see how I felt. And drop another 10 and see how I felt to get to a playing weight and feel good, feel light, feel fast, strong, and go from there.

Do you get the feeling that if one of them puts on five pounds during spring training that we'll be seeing a Phillies jazzercise class?

Red Sox: Everything is hunky dory. The lead story is how the new generation of young guns is following around Jon Lester, just as he tailed Josh Beckett in recent springs. And that Terry Francona loves baseball.

Yeah, it's chee-zy with a capital Z, but it sure beats being a Yankee fan when the big cause for excitement is that your veteran stars are going to attend the roiders news conference.

He's still here?

Yes, Adam Eaton is still a Phillie. But probably not for much longer. Ruben Amaro has made it pretty clear he won't make the squad, and today Eaton made it pretty clear he'd rather take his chances trying to catch on with another organization than pitch for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs again. Here's what he told Scott Lauber:

If we get to that point, I'll be released. And I don't think that's the end of the world by any means. It would be kind of prudent not to trade for me. I'm not going to accept another assignment. It doesn't take a rocket scientist for another GM to maybe wait and take your shot at getting me for less than a trade would be.

And, he's still delusional, according to Todd Zolecki's report:

I think the odds on favorite would be going somewhere else. But that is a good thing, too. This isn't the only place I can pitch. There's a lot more teams out there that need pitching. I hope to pitch well this spring, whether I make this team or some other team.

I guess, for Eaton's sake, I hope Philadelphia isn't the only place he can pitch because if it is, his career his over. But wherever he winds up, he's going to get a ring that he deserves only for being one of the Phillies' biggest free agent busts ever. And he plans to wear it.

Why wouldn't I? Obviously, a lot of people get them that didn't compete. But definitely if I were to win another one and I competed, I think that one would be more satisfying.

Ah, I'm going to miss Adam Eaton ... but only from a blogging standpoint, not from the point of view of someone who watches a ton of Phillies games.

Red Sox: When you've had your fill of Alex Rodriguez et al trying to cheat the game, there are stories of a 40-year-old with nothing to prove busting his hump during February agility drills. I'm not overly confident in what he will do on the field, but I think I will like having John Smoltz on the team.

I hate Bud Selig

I've tolerated Bud Selig doing nothing as the Yankees have freely spent small-market teams such as the Expos (and now the Nationals), Royals and Pirates into oblivion.

I've forgiven him for the strike and cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

I didn't even get that mad at him for making us sit through the really cold and rainy first half of last year's World Series Game 5.

But what he has now done is unforgivable: He has made me defend Alex Rodriguez.

After days of mulling the situation, Selig said Wednesday he was considering punishing A-Roid. I'm all for punishing the juicers, but you can't pick and choose your spots or make up rules and enforce them years after the transgression.

And as much as I wish it could be, Hank Aaron can no longer be the home run king. I think he has too much pride and integrity to allow that to happen.

I've been saying for years we should remove tainted World Series titles, but I now know that's impossible. Find me one team during the steroid era that wasn't touched at all by drugs. Even the last two SoxandPhils championships in the "clean" era had connections to steroids - J.C. Romero (technically on both teams) and Eric Gagne.

Selig could have done something about steroids when they were prevalent. He chose to do nothing. Baseball has been tarnished, and all we can do is sit back and watch as Slappy cheats Barry Bonds out of the record he cheated away from Hank Aaron.

Way to go Bud.

I'm so frustrated I want to hit him with a baseball bat. No, that's not funny. And it could get me sued like Jose Offerman.

And, it seems that Bud's advisers warned him what a PR nightmare it would be if I had to align myself with Slappy against him. He's not going to punish the roider nor tinker with the record book.

Sweet sights of spring

Finally, the 2008 World Champion Phillies and the 2007 World Champion Red Sox have begun to take the field.

In a surprise, one of the first Phillies working out was Chase Utley - hopefully that means Marcus Giles won't set foot in Philadelphia.

The Inquirer has a nice photo gallery of the Phillies first unofficial day of spring training. And as usual, Utley wouldn't quit gabbing, this time about how his first fielding session went. He answered two questions from David Murphy with two words and five letters: No. Yes.

Ah, baseball is back.

{P.S. The Zo Zone is back, too.}

In Red Sox camp: The day was topped by news that Josh Beckett didn't show up fat and bloated like he did last year. There were also optimistic reports on Brad Penny and Mike Lowell and David Ortiz, but I just consider that spring optimism. I'm not ready to count on those three having healthy seasons yet.

But it was a day so positive that news of a Manny Ramirez book barely made a blip. After Alex Rodriguez's steroids, the AIDS lawsuit against Roberto Alomar and Joe Torre's book, who cares that Manny thinks the Red Sox elderly traveling secretary is rude? Or that Manny is liked by his friends?

[Photo credits: Philadelphia Inquirer (Utley), Boston Globe (Beckett)]

He's lost his reputation - and his mind

After yesterday's post, I told Christine that I regretted not giving Alex Rodriguez credit for not whining that only his name - out of the 104 total roiders - was published.

Now, I'm glad I didn't mention it.

It turns out I missed the portion of the interview where Slappy does his classic bumbling PR shtick. He accused reporter Selena Roberts - whose report he had said was accurate - of breaking into his home and stalking him.

Roberts responded today:

I know for a fact everything that came out of his mouth was a fabrication. I don't know how he could believe anything that was such a grand distortion.

A-Rod's pattern of feigning innocence and making it seem as if the world is out to get him is beyond old. It's downright troublesome. He has lost is mind. And that, coupled with his history of substance abuse, could make him a danger to others. I hope someone steps up and gets this pampered prima donna some professional help before this story truly turns tragic.

Those seeking relief from these sickening steroid stories can take solace in the fact that the Daily News profiled Mike Zagurski today. The appearance of a story only his mom - and Christine - would care about can only mean that spring training is imminent.

I'm sorry I got caught

Before Alex Rodriguez hurts his arm by slapping himself on the back for admitting he's a roider, remember he's only apologizing because he got caught.

He has had ample time to come clean, including his now infamous 2007 interview with Katie Couric and last week when first confronted by Sports Illustrated. But he lied and stalled in hopes his real-life image would just magically match the one in his mind.

Too late. Just like your ill-advised attempt to slap the ball away from Bronson Arroyo in the 2004 ALCS, it's all over for you, A-Roid.

I would like to give him credit for going beyond the usual athlete apology of "I got caught, so I'm going to apologize for this one-time transgression." But I find it too convenient that his apology, while covering a longer time span than most, ends right at the year of the drug test.

If you lie once, you can lie again. If you cheat once, you can cheat again. How do we know he hasn't moved on to other drugs that MLB does not, or cannot, test for?

This whole steroid mess only opens up question after question, and I find myself having to pick and choose which bit of information I believe. I can only hope I'm right.

The other night Christine and I debated whether prominent members of the 2004 Red Sox are on the list of 104 who tested positive along with A-Rod. It wasn't quite a debate because I can't say for sure.

Take Curt Schilling, for example. He's been so outspoken against steroids and those who used. He seems to understand public relations and would know that if he's on Slappy's list, his reputation and the great 2004 will forever be ruined.

So that part of me says there's no way he ever used, but as with A-Rod, Palmeiro and Clemens ... we've heard strong denials before.

When does spring training start?

{Saturday!!}

Breaking news

Well, that was unexpected.

Even though it's been hinted at over the past few weeks, I didn't think Ryan Howard would sign an extension. But he did, and now we have the big man in a Phillies uniform for the next three years. And for a not completely outrageous amount of money - only $54 million. Product of the economy, or does he want to stay in town?

So Howard will be a free agent at 32 years of age. I'm glad to know that we have him for his prime and that we don't have to revisit the topic of Howard's contract until after the Phillies fourth consecutive World Championship in 2011.

(Greg thinks this is all going too smoothly for the Phillies and that half of the team is going to break down in April - perhaps my biggest secret fear of this off-season.)

Now, he's truly a fraud

One of my Sunday morning pleasures during baseball season is Ed Randall's Talking Baseball on WFAN. Today was his first show of the season, and I took no disappointment in the fact that instead of opening the season by chatting with Bob Sheppard - the legendary Yankee PA announcer - he had to talk about how there's no more white knight in baseball.

Yes, the great Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez is now a true Yankee with a steroid history, just like Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. It's an A-Bomb from A-Rod.

My first reaction was pure gratitude that the trade that nearly brought him to Boston before the 2004 season never happened. We would probably still be pining for our first championship since 1918, and now we'd be dealing with steroid accusations.

But then I thought about how Slappy didn't appear in George Mitchell's report. What if baseball intentionally kept him out in hopes he would wipe the similarly tainted Barry Bonds from the record books? Then, who can say some prominent Red Sox from the great '04 team didn't get similar treatment? Tangentially, if Joe Torre's book implicates some Toronto Blue Jays for using, how will he claim ignorance of A-Fraud's substance abuse?

What a friggin' mess.

Everyone is talking about witch hunts, sadness and courts of public opinions. I feel no remorse for players who cheated the game. The only ones who deserve any sympathy are the fans who spent years thinking they were watching honest athletic contests. They are the only ones who can claim to be defrauded.

Administrative: I know I was late with the huge Slappy news. I had to help family yesterday and was away from the computer. I had thought it would be a safe day to pre-publish. Oops.

Sunday read: If not for Slappy, I could have written a whole post on Jim Salisbury's "A Portrait of Charlie Manuel." It is a must read for any SoxandPhil-er. Some highlights:

• I love Cholly's hat.
• HBO is filming a feature on the manager of the World Champions.
• He only rents in New Jersey: "If I had known I'd be there that long I would have bought a place, but you're always firing me," Manuel says with a laugh to the visitor, a reporter from Philadelphia.
• He likes cooking ribs: "I like to buy a simple sauce and add to it," Manuel says. "Keep tasting it until I like it."
  Like tweaking a team until it's ready to win?
  "Exactly, son," Manuel says.
• There will be no controversy over the ball that recorded the last out of the World Series, as have followed the Red Sox 2004 and 2007 wins: At first, Manuel is loath to talk about the ball.
  "What ball?" he says, feigning ignorance. "I don't know where it is."
  Come on.
  "It's not here," he says.
  Finally, Manuel gives in.
  "I've got the ball," he says. "The ball is mine. Lidge and Ruiz gave it to me. I took that as a great honor."

Popping good times ahead

Just when I thought we were hitting a lull with the oversaturation of Red Sox kitsch in the marketplace, this bit of news comes out: The Boston Pops is releasing a Red Sox album.

I'm psyched. It goes on sale Opening Day, April 6, which means even if it sells out quickly, Christine will still have three weeks to get it for my birthday.

I wish I could find a complete set list; so far, all the stories just tout a Sousa march punctuated by the crack of Papi's bat, stupid Sweet Caroline and a Dropkick Murphys song.

If you can guarantee me that Dirty Water is on it, it will definitely be on my birthday wish list. {Greg must be forgetting that he already has Dirty Water on CD - on the soundtrack to Fever Pitch, the movie he so often derides on here.}

Whatever happened to ... ?

The other night I was watching the 2006 Home Run Derby on the MLB Network. I knew Phillies bullpen coach Ramon Henderson pitched to Ryan Howard that night - making him the winning pitcher in consecutive derbies (Bobby Abreu in 2005) - but I didn't remember that he also pitched to Miguel Tejeda and David Ortiz that night.

I thought: Howard must not have liked that. Then, I thought: Whatever happened to Ramon Henderson? He seemed like the prototypical baseball lifer - well-liked, capable and settled into a niche role. What happened to him when he was sent home last year and then brought back with a demotion as the Phillies finally won the big one?

Today, the Philadelphia Daily News answers those questions with a four-click tearjerker about Henderson's fight with alcoholism. It's an interesting story - his drinking worsened when John Vukovich died, and he credits the Phillies and the team's substance abuse adviser Dickie Noles for getting his life back on track.

It's a sad tale, with some redemption that leaves you with hope everything will turn out all right for Henderson. I hope he's serving up dingers to Papi and Howard in St. Louis this summer.

Party like it's 1984

I'm sticking to the promise I made last year to retire from fantasy baseball. I like the game, but I don't have the time to make a proper effort at it.

But if I were to be tempted, Major League Baseball surely knows how. I could be suckered into its gimmick of using a 1984 Topps baseball card design for its fantasy baseball cards.

It's great seeing Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton appear as if they played in the early 1980s.

I miss what baseball cards used to be and enjoyed this bit of nostalgia.

The one bad thing, however, is that it made me feel old. Out of curiosity, I wondered how many SoxandPhils on the teams' 40-man rosters were born in 1984 or later - 11 for the Sox, 10 for the Phils. I turned 7 that year.

There are just 11 Phillies and nine Red Sox who are older than me.

We're getting closer ...

Players are stirring, reporters have started writing again and a whole mess of chewing gum, T-shirts and baseballs will soon depart from Philadelphia to Clearwater. All that's missing is Jimmy Rollins dissing on the Mets. But J-Roll, who did a conference call on the World Baseball Classic, wasn't interested in talking about the past:

"Being on the same team, you actually get to see and admire what a guy is like when you're in the same clubhouse," said Rollins, who will play for Team USA next month in the WBC. "You're not representing New York or Philadelphia. It doesn't matter who the guy on your left or right is. It's just Team USA. So, as for the Mets, that has nothing to do with the World Baseball Classic. I'll address that in spring training."

C'mon, J-Roll, I'm dying here. Give me something to work with.

Not even Theo Epstein gave me anything to chew on in a radio interview (not that he ever provides good blog fodder).

The only thing we learned today is one possible reason the Red Sox unexpectedly signed Brad Wilkerson - our fifth outfielder/backup first baseman, Mark Kotsay, needs back surgery and will miss at least one month. The season is ruined.

{As for me, I'm getting desperate for baseball to start. I am absolutely not a Led Zeppelin fan, but I listened to all 8 minutes and 28 seconds of Kashmir on the ride home from work, just because it reminded me of being at the ballpark.}

Encouraging signs of spring

Although we're in midst of the largest snowfall of the season and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday, there are some sure signs of spring in SoxandPhils-ville.

First, Scott Lauber, who by default is now the premier newspaper reporter covering the Phillies, has stirred from his hibernation and says his paper and blog will begin full team coverage soon. That's good news, but hard to believe when his newspaper company is crumbling.

Second, a certain young, left-handed, World Series-winning ace has arrived for spring training. No, not that young, left-handed, World Series-winning ace, but this one. It can get so confusing with all the championship-caliber talent on our two rosters. Jon Lester reported early and seems ready to build on a breakout year.

Oh, and in a complete surprise to me, we signed Brad Wilkerson. I might be happier if it was Curtis Wilkerson.

Groundhog day

So the little critter saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter and a bummed-out Christine.

In (un)related news, Ryan Howard and the Phillies have an arbitration date, but there is a lot of chatter that there may be a deal to skirt the messy hearing.

And, the Phillies may sign Will Ohman. I guess they are worried about J.C. Romero's skills now that he's sure to be tested more often. Ohman has actually been a pretty good reliever the last few years. The Red Sox tried to acquire him mid-season, but found the asking price too high.

Finally, Christine and I cannot comprehend that Bud Selig makes $17.5 million. He earned every penny of it during last year's World Series Game 5. Just mentioning, a recent ESPN fan survey had job approvals of the various sports commissioners: Roger Goodell at 80 percent, David Stern at 62 percent, Gary Bettman at 55 percent, and Bud came in last with 42 percent approval.

Super Sunday

In reverence to the big game, there seems to be a dearth of SoxandPhils news. Nick Cafardo has some interesting nuggets on Jason Varitek's worth, Joe Torre's insight on Alex Rodriguez and teams facing dilemmas with out-of-option players this spring. But there's no big issue for a blogger to chew on. Phil Sheridan is in Tampa, and the rest of the Phillies writers seem to be on vacation, switching jobs or casualties of the newspaper industry's failure to weather the economy.

So on such a day, I think even Christine will acknowledge that baseball takes a back seat for football. But I don't think she will give the sport more than today - tomorrow we resume counting the days until spring training. {I just want this game to be over with.}

Game on: Finally, on the last week of the season, I remember to post playoff predictions before the games start. I'll pick the usually crowd-pleasing Budweiser Clydesdales to win the commercial wars; Buster to win the Puppy Bowl (I like the quiet confidence in his eyes); and the Steelers to win 37-30.


Update: The MLB Network is back on Verizon FIOS. I hope the other night was some kind of glitch, but I bet they're just messing with me.